Monday, October 8, 2012

Ireland ! Killarney & Galway !!

The third and final installment of our Ireland travels takes us by way of Killarney. One of the topmost tourist attractions in Ireland is the Ring of Kerry, a scenic 179km circular drive along the coast. Although our original intention was to see the western side of the Ring of Kerry, I had sprinkled an idea of maybe going east bound along the ring so that we can eat pancakes at The Strawberry Field.

There was something about this place self-described as a "pancake cottage," hidden along somewhere on this beautiful route, that called to us, and soon, we were all consumed with eating here, trusting a smattering of reviews I had read on TripAdvisor. And thus, we adjusted our itinerary, and made way to what may be the most charming place I have eaten at to date.

I mean, look at this golden beauty, beckoning from behind these glossy wrought-iron gates.

Look at the view from the outdoor seating, the wide blue skies soaring out ahead.

Look at the ripped statuettes rocking six-packs sprinkled throughout the meticulously manicured premises. Suggesting, if I ate here, I could look like this. Well guess what? I totally do ! (I'm going to write that in my Tripadvisor review. Eat pancakes, wash clothes on your new washboard abs !)

Okay, enough of that. Let's get down to business.

I drank a hot chocolate. I liked it. It went down too easy.

The menu features both savory and sweet pancake options with just about every combination of protein, cheese, vegetable, fruit, dessert topping, available. We all decided on regular, 'adult-sized' savory pancakes and kid-sized dessert pancakes.

Here's the merry bunch looking at our first course !

I had the Boughhil Mountain, combining mozzarella, sundried tomato and fresh basil pancake.

We quickly discovered that pancake means a thin crepe. They can call it whatever they want. It's fantastic. Super, paper thin, and so simple, but the ingredients sang individually and in perfect harmony together - tangy sundried tomatoes, freshly cracked pepper, and lovely cuts of basil. Hea-ven ! !

Greeshma ordered the Lough Brin pancake with cheddar, tomato and bacon that proved to be the cheesiest of the bunch !

After, we visited the small shop inside, thanked our hostess graciously and made our merry way to the Dingle Peninsula, the northernmost peninsula in the southwest tip of Ireland, that contains prehistoric beehive huts, the Gallerus Oratory and other unique artifacts stemming from the early middle ages.

The Dingle drive was beautiful and peaceful. The peace only disrupted by the rumbles of my stomach in anticipation for our seafood feast at Out of the Blue, a charming restaurant specializing in only locally sourced seafood.

The menu changes daily, with available catches, and is presented tableside as a propped chalkboard.

We gazed at the board while noshing on delicious, nutty brown breads and quarters of butter.

We shared a plate of flash fried squid, and I could not imagine a dish I regretted sharing more than this one. The plate had a strong Asian influence, the delectably tender squid was caramelized with ginger, chili and coriander.

Stefanie ordered hake medallions with red pepper sauce and asparagus. The fish was fresh and buttery.

Belmund went big with a whole fish sole topped with scallops and plenty of almond butter. He kept going on and on about how he has never heard about almond butter before and how he will not be able to go on living without it from now on. I tasted his almond butter and completely agreed.

Greesh and I ordered pan-seared scallops flambeed in apple brandy and topped with a beurre blanc sauce. As you can see with the previous two plates, each entree is circled by a random assortment of salads / sides which reminded me of Korean banchan, little clusters of randomness.

My favorite was this fun little vegetable couscous dome that had juicy sultanas hidden within it. I think I need to start eating more couscous. Fun to say and eat !

The scallops are served whole, complete with roe (the orange claw thing shown below), which is a first for me to eat (a nice meaty scallop extension!); the scallops themselves were just awesome, little bundles of seafood succulence.

We all cleaned up our plates to earn our desserts, which appeared on a mini little board.

Les flottant, or floating island, was a square of meringue floating in a creme anglaise sauce, topped with toasted almonds. The airy dessert bobbed up and down with each spoonful - utterly light.

The french apple tart was tangy, with added raspberry sauce, and a nice little way to end our fantastic meal.

The next morning, we grabbed coffees and toasties from Lir Cafe, near our hotel in Killarney, before heading out to the Cliffs of Moher. Toasties is a great way to describe a grilled cheese sandwich. I got one with ham. It was pretty good !

We spent an hour taking pictures of the Cliffs of Moher, including several of Belmund with his beige trench coat billowing behind him in dramatic fashion, and had a quick lunch at the Cliffs View Cafe, located upstairs from the visitor's center. You can eat a variety of paninis, soups and pasta while enjoying a view of the cliffs.

The pasta bolognese was surprisingly satisfying.

As was the Bundaberg ginger beer - a nice, solid ginger ale from Australia.

The almond chocolate Magnum bar rounded out our lunch !

Later that evening, we made our way to Galway, a quaint, adorable little town whose city inhabits only three streets in the city center. By this point, the three Asians in the group were ready for some Asian cuisine. And so we found ourselves sitting at Tamarind, overlooking the Spanish Arch, being served Thai cusine by a staff with full Irish accents. Such an interesting combination !

Some of the tasted dishes included crispy goat cheese wontons, served with a cup of ketchup.

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